Jesse Smith And Sean Gavin To Play A 'Pure Drop' Irish Concert

Just a fiddle, and a flute. And rhythm, ornaments, breath accents, and stories. In the tradition of Irish folk music, two players is enough for an evening's entertainment, harkening back to the days when resources were scarce but social music-making was prized.

On Thursday at First Congregational Church, fiddler Jesse Smith (Danu, The Tap Room Trio) and flutist Sean Gavin (Bua, Teada) will perform, highlighting their new album, Music From The Lost Continent, which was called "straight-up trad at its best" in a Tradconnect review. Cara Lieurance spoke with Jesse Smith about his love of the music and his admiration for players of the past, including Michael Coleman, who was famous in the 1920 for his cylinder recordings.

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An interview with fiddler Jesse Smith.

The concert begins at 7:30 pm at First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo on Thursday, July 29. Admission cost and other details posted here.

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"Sean is an incredibly rhythmic player. He brings such a vitality, you couldn't miss it when he comes in. He's one of the best flute players of any age, that's playing anywhere in Ireland or America or anywhere else. He's absolutely fantastic," says fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, talking about Sean Gavin.

They may speak with American accents, but Bua's music is purely Irish - learned from parents and older Irish musicians who emigrated to the United States. Bua will demonstrate their vivacious, lived-in sound in a concert at the Richland Community Hall on Tuesday.

The five-member Irish traditional group Caladh Nua recently visited Kalamazoo, performing for school children, college students, and a community audience at Western Michigan University during their visit. It was the culmination of a month-long tour of the United States, which took the band to Florida, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and other states.

On the night of a prestigious engagement at the Purcell Room in London, Irish singer Seán Tyrrell was asked if he could provide a set list for the lighting designer. "No," he told the stage manager, who then asked if he knew which song he would sing first. "I'm sorry, I really don't," he replied. "I won't know until I get to the microphone."